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My first KoRn show (detailed, long, full, true story)

What I'm aboot to attempt to tell you might seem a like an exaggeration, or you might think its total bullshit, but I promise, every word is true, may the Gods strike me down.
A friend of mine turned me on to Korn when I was in High School in 1995. Cobain had died reccently and that left just a little bit of a void for me in music; I was into lots of different stuff, but I was always looking for something that was just unique, and special and for me Nirvana was just that. So after that was gone I kinda drifted around, like searching for that new sound. One that I could relate to.
Then a friend of mine went to a Korn show in Austin and was so impressed, he got one of their CDs. He told me aboot the show the next day at school- how it was mind blowing and how there was this wall-to-wall pit and a psycho freaking out behind the mic then playing bagpipes and all this, y'know, so I was definetly intersted. After school he played Blind for me and that was the end. The end of all other music. I needed more. We listened to the whole album and discovered the weird ass secret song at the end, then we listened to it all over again. I made him play it a third time. He would not let me borrow it, so I made a copy of it on cassette tape.
Anyhoo, I was addicted and in desperate need of a live fix. They played like ten shows that were near me the whole time I was in high school and I missed every one of them. Whether it was lack of funds, getting dicked out of a ticket, one time Munky got sick and they had to cancel, or sometimes just not hearing aboot the show until it was too late, I never got to see Korn. I got to see Pantera, NIN, Deftones, but never Korn. It drove me mad.
That all changed after Follow the Leader was released, and Korn started the first Family Values Tour. I remember getting my ticket in a grocery store in San Antonio. For some reason that's where they used to sell them. On a few other occasions, I'd get my tickets at a J.C. Pennys. Weird. So I got my ticket and I was a little bummed out because I could only get a one that was in the seats of the arena, and off to the side of the stage. I really wanted to be on the floor, so I could get the full effect of the show. So the seat was kinda an issue, but I knew that somehow, I was going to make it onto the floor of that arena. Nothing will stop me from seeing Korn. I even dared the Gods once to try and stop me.
The show was in Fort Worth and I had no car, but I do have a really, really terrific Mom that knew my Love for Korn and my desire to see them in concert, so she willingly gave up her time to haul my ass on a five hour drive. She's so cool. We even smoked a "dooby" (her words) on the way up there. She absolutely does not like Korn, though.
So we arrive and find the venue with minimum effort. Even before we found the place, we could see these amazing looking people all walking in the same direction. These were definetly my people; we knew we were in the right place. Mom dropped me off a few blocks away, not cause I'm embarrassed the my Mom was driving me, but because I love to walk and had a lot of time to kill before the show. I circled the venue a few times and occasionally chit chatted with people, but I generally kept to myself. I saw a few members of the band Orgy walking around, but did not go up to talk to them. They looked like they were having a good time just walking around being regular dudes, not being rock stars, so I just let em be. More and more beatiful people gathered around the building, and I knew it was time to queue up.
I found an entrance where not too many people were standing and decided this would be the best place for a quick entry. I was right and by the time the doors were unlocked retively no people were at this entrance. The anticipation before the doors were opened was excruciating. I just stood and looked through the doors and could feel my whole body vibrating. Then I saw an enormous man in a yellow shirt lead by a little old lady (she seems to work at every arena in the nation). They were headed right to the doors. They unlocked the doors and the Yellow Belly felt me up, and the Lady ripped my ticket and let me in. They were beautiful Heroes made of gold then sprinkled with diamond dust.
I was on my way to see Korn. I stopped at a merch booth that wasn't too crowded and got a shirt, then I went and found my seat. My crappy seat. It was higher up than I thought it would be, but I was not aboot to bitch. I was at a fuckin Korn show! I watched all the arena start to fill, and before too long, the lights went down and the first band of the night, Orgy, hit the stage.
Their set was kinda short, and not really that memorable, but they still played solidly. Next up was Limp Bizkit, who hadn't even released Faith yet. Say what you want aboot them, but that night they tore the house down. In the middle of one song Fred Durst was like "there's still some room on the floor y'all," and some people started to rush down to the arena floor from the seats. After his second taunt "there's not enough people on the floor. We need some more..." I knew this was my chance. I did not hesitate to rush down those steep ass stadium steps that lead to the floor. I think I was the first one down. At the bottom of the steps there was a rail, then like, a 10-15 foot drop, then the floor of the arena. With all these people pushing up against me, I hoisted my green Doc's over the railing and stood for a moment, waiting for the perfect time. When I let go it was felt so slow. Like in a movie. I remember looking to my left and seeing someone falling at the same time as me, but from much higher up. I hit the ground all Ninja like, and just took off into the crowd. Some Yellow Bellies came rushing for the Floor Invaders, but I gave 'em the slip and I made it into the crowd unscathed. I was ecstatic- I couldn't believe I had made it. Thank you, Fred Durst!
L.B.'s set was really good; they played on like, a crashed U.F.O. site. At one point Durst grabbed some dude's hat, and was like "NIKE?!?!" and he threw it like a frisbee into the crowd. Ice Cube took the stage next and he was badass, despite what most of the crowd thought. There was like, a fifity foot tall statue of Cube's head wearing a top hat on stage. Atop the hat was the D.J. Pretty cool. One both sides of the stage there were these statues of the Grim Reaper, that were there the whole time, and at the end they started moving and walking off stage- they were guys in costume the whole time, but I was fooled.
Then Rammstein came out and did their guy on fire stuff, but I really just couldn't wait for it it be over so I could see Korn. Nothing against Rammstein, but I was there really just to see Korn. There fire stuff was really, unbelievably cool, though. When their spectacle finished the lights went up and stayed up for hours. It felt like hours, anyways. And when the lights did go down, that seemed like hours, too. But then finally...KORN
They opened up with It's On, which is just a great song for warming up the crowd. The pit was incredible. The amazing rush of friendly (nearly friendly) dancing combat. Everyone, including the band, semmed to be having the time of thier lives. At one point Ice Cube came back out on stage and did Children of the Korn and Wicked. Then there was a brief silence so everyone could catch their breath, then they Fieldy started to play the opening bass lines for Daddy and I thought I was going to see history get made, cause I heard somewhere once that they've only done that song once or twice live. They didn't end up playing it, but its was really cool to at least hear the intro. They ended the set with a Limp Bizkit team up and layed out All in the Family. It was great! They did an fantastic encore that ended with Earache my Eye, when they all switched instruments-JD palyed drums, David on bass, Fieldy rockin the vocs, and Head and Munky switched sides. I never wanted to leave that arean but the Yellow Bellies made me.
I walked around the arena a couple of times and had a smoke and reflected on what had just happened. I spotted people clustered around a door and decided to go over. I hung out for a while but started to get bored, but right before I left to call my Mom, the door opened and the drummer from Orgy poked his head out. No one really reacted, but I started to talk to him. I bummed him a cigarette and told me his name was Bobby and we bullshitted for a while. When he was finished smoking, he said he had to go, but he actuaclly offered for me to come backstage. Fucking of course I'll go! I tried to keep it cool, but the door was really slow to close, so a few other people snuck in. I tried to keep up with Bobby, but he is really tall and wore those Frankenstein boot, and I just couldn't keep up with him. And I'm six feet tall! He turned a corner and went into a huge backstage tent nirvana. I was literally righ behind him, but it was no use. The biggest, baldest, meanest Yellow Belly of them all cut me off. He rock-blocked me, yo. Uncool.
He saw the uninvited backstagers and forced us all out. On the way out I spotted a water cooler and got a little drink, one of the other kids did, too, but the Yellow Belly grabbed him by the Neck and threw him! We helped him up and left, but not after a stream of profanity and hostility. We all went to one of the entrances and fumed for a bit, pissed at what had just happened. I remember seeing Fieldy and Head talking to some people the Orgy dudes and the LB crew all hanging out, and all the rest is a big bald blur of fury. What a drag. As we sat and bitched, the singer of Orgy walked by and we told him what had happened. He got enraged, and demanded to know what Yellow Belly it was, and as the Gods would have it, the very same one who did the child strangling walked by, and Jay Gordon flashed some magic rock star badge, and the Yellow Belly came over and opened the door. Jay ripped into him and demanded and appology. The Yellow Belly was at his mercy, and sqeaked out an appology to the strangled boy. Then Jay Gordon dissapeared with some blonde floozy into the night. Like a well dressed Phantom.
I walked around looking for some more action, but that seemed to be the last super event of the evening. I phoned my Mom's hotel and we headed home after some Waffle House. After about 45 min. into the drive home, we started to see lightning. Then heavy winds. Then some rain. Then lots of rain. Then lots and lots of all three. I'm pretty sure I saw a tornado for, it was that bad. My Mom was scarred and no doobies would calm her. At any rate doodies would have made everything a whole lot worse. We made it home and leaarned that it was the worst flood that our town had had in fifty years! I thank my Mom often for taking me on that fatefull trip.
Its really weird, cause I appologized for the time I cursed the Gods when I dared them to stop me from seeing Korn, and the rain let up. NO SHIT! It didn't entirely stop, but it significantly slowed down, and I'm not kidding. Whether it was Jesus, Allah, Budda, the Force, who know but I think there was something, there that day. It was one of the only perfect-- absolutley, unbelievabley perfect days that I have ever had.

Comments

Interesting... it's funny, my first KoRn show (mayhem fest) was only 2 years ago but I feel like I've known them forever. I didn't know anything about KoRn before the concert. But during the show, I was blown away. Then I became obsessed with them lol I still have my KoRn concert shirt.

OMG!! ForthWorth? 1998? I was totally at this show too!!!!!! How crazy is that?? I was however not on the floor but had some pretty good seats. I LOVED reading this, it took me back and plus it seems like you had an amazing experience. This was also my first korn show!! Wow, thanks for posting, I REALLY enjoyed :)

That was the best story ever!!! Reminds me of the time I snuck in backstage and got to sit and talk to the members of Kittie!!!! I got bullied by the yellow bellied dudes but I'm a girl so they weren't too harsh and I lied and told them I got invited in!!!!! They believed me!!!! Ha ha